Baylor Journal of Theatre and Performance seeks essays for a special issue,to be guest-edited by Christy Stanlake. We welcome essays that exploreperformance in, and performative aspects of, the indigenous communities ofthe Americas, including North, Central, and South America. Over the pasttwo decades, American Indian theatre has been actively growing, at both agrassroots level and in professional theatre. Along with the increase intheatrical work has been a growing circle of American Indian theatricalpublications (in anthologies and UCLA’s Project HOOP series.) Institutions,like the National Museum of the American Indian and the Mashantucket PequotMuseum are collaborating with Indigenous performance artists to createvenues for performative exchanges and conversations across Native Nations.Therefore, now is an opportune moment for a special issue of the journaldedicated to the topic.

We are especially interested in submissions that seek to move beyond atendency (sometimes called "academic tourism") to fetishize indigenouspeoples and their cultures. Topics for this issue may include plays writtenfor the theatre, performance artists or groups, and popular performances,including non-manuscript based traditions such as music, dance, andoral/storytelling practices. We also welcome articles that consider thecomplexities facing artists, companies, publication, and performance withinthe debatable context of boundaries, identities, and nomenclaturesurrounding native communities—i.e., the debate of “indigenous” vs. “NativeAmericans,” “American Indians,” “First Nations People,” “Aboriginal,” etc.. Because BJTP has a particular commitment to scholarly inquiry surroundingthe intersections of spirituality and theatrical performance, we areinterested in submissions related to this area of research; however, wewill avoid the ethnographic study of religious traditions and seek insteadarticles that consider: the problem of preserving sacredness of ritualperformance in the face of outside curiosity, the ways that theatreconsiders interactions between native peoples and the religious/culturaltraditions of their own or others’ communities, and other appropriatetopics of sacredness and spirituality that may arise.

Currently, the journal especially seeks book and performance reviews andinterviews related to the featured topic. Documents can be submitted inelectronic format only to the editor Carolyn Roark at bjtp_at_baylor.edu.Inquiries regarding submission and subscription may be directed to theeditor, and additional information, including submission guidelines and astyle sheet, may be found at www.baylor.edu/bjtp. This publication ispeer-reviewed and adheres to a blind submission policy. Baylor Journal ofTheatre and Performance is indexed by the MLA International Bibliography.